Conventionally, a car has been used as a transportation means. However, the car is recently regarded as a means that shows the individuality or social status of the owner.
Accordingly, many car companies are developing a car with various and unique designs in order to satisfy the consumer's various desires. Even the wheels of the car are made in various designs and materials in order to satisfy the customer's desire.
However, as the car is running, the wheels are rotated accordingly and the design or the shape of the wheels may not be recognized at all. Therefore, a means or method is desired to have the decorated wheel recognized.
In order to achieve the above purpose, a car wheel cover has been devised comprising a design plate which is rotatively mounted at the wheel and has a weight at the lower side whereby the design plate is not rotated, but remains settled in an original position although the wheel of the car is rotated. (Korean Patent Application No. 1999-021972)
The above design plate is rotatively mounted at the wheel by means of a bearing, or is inserted into a case filled with liquid and floated in the case by buoyancy of the liquid. Accordingly, the design plate does not rotate along with the wheel because the weight is attached at the lower side causing the design plate to remain settled in the original position even though the car is running.
In a wheel cover comprising the design plate mounted at the wheel by means of a bearing, the design plate may remain settled in the original position when the car is running at a constant speed along a plane and smooth road which has no bump. However, when the car is accelerated or decelerated rapidly or when the car is running on a bumpy road, an eccentrical force may be applied to the design plate due to the weight so that the above design plate may be excessively shaken or may be swung repeatedly, resulting in rotational movement of the design plate, so that the design of the design plate may not be recognizable.
Further, in a wheel cover comprising a design plate which is floated in the case by buoyancy of liquid, when the case is rotated below a certain speed, the liquid in the case may be kept in static condition so that the liquid absorbs a movement energy generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the car or the shaking of the car. Accordingly, the design plate remains settled in the original position by the weight at the lower side.
However, when the case is rotated over a critical speed, or over a speed such that the liquid is unable to absorb the rotation speed of the case, the liquid will be rotated together with the case so that the design plate floated by the liquid is also rotated along with the wheel. According to tests and observation, the design plate will rotate together with the case when the car is driven over the speed of 80 km per hour. This may be illustrated by way of example, wherein, if water and laundry are put into a cylindrical washing barrel of a washing machine, and the washing barrel rotated, the water and the laundry rotate together with the washing barrel.
Accordingly, if the car is driven below a certain critical speed, compared with said wheel cover utilizing the bearing, the wheel cover utilizing buoyancy of the liquid may better allow the design plate to remain settled in the original position without being affected by vibration, acceleration and deceleration of the car. However, the above wheel cover has also the problem that, if the car is running over a critical speed, the design plate will rotate with the wheel so that a logo or picture of the design plate cannot be recognized.